As an example, the prices of packages in Angola compared to those available in Portugal and Brazil are five times more expensive. According to accounts made by Expansão – based on the prices available on the operators' websites, from the lowest to the highest –, a citizen who decides to subscribe to the ZAP Fibra service, in this case the Super 100 Mb package, with Internet access at a speed of 100 Mbps, unlimited traffic and 120 television channels will be charged 131,900 kwanzas per month.
In turn, a consumer in Brazil who opts for a package from Claro TV, with the right to Internet at a speed of 250 Mbps, traffic of 1000 GB and 123 television channels will have to pay 16,915 kwanzas.
A study by the African Union and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, cited by the same newspaper, reveals that in the country only four percent of the population can pay for 1 GB of monthly data, which is lower than the average in Africa, which stands at 17 Percent.
Among the main reasons that justify the high prices in the country is the maintenance of infrastructure.
Mota de Carvalho, chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of Angola Cables, explained that "the services are expensive because" the suppliers and partners that keep the cables operational charge "also very expensive, here in Africa". However, the scenario should ease with the arrival of more submarine cables to the continent.
Cited by Expansão, the official added that meetings have been held with the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication to analyze the possible possibility of the State subsidizing part of the Internet: "We have had many meetings with the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication to see the possibility of the State subsidizing a little the Internet in our country. In some countries where the Internet is cheap, the State contributes".
He also added that the high price of the Internet could have its days numbered, indicating that the Ministry of Finance's plans include a drop in Internet prices, writes Expansão.
Regarding the operators, he explained that they apply prices according to the infrastructure: "The companies all operate with generators, and that costs a lot of money. Having the best technicians also requires paying well. Let's wait for better days", he said, adding that sharing infrastructure between operators could help to lower prices.
